Open Up and Say… Ahh! is the second studio album by Poison, released on this date in May, 1988 through the Enigma label. It was certified platinum in 1988 and 5x-platinum in 1991 by the RIAA. The album has been certified by CAN 4x platinum and by BPI gold. Peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200, the album, which ultimately sold eight million copies worldwide, it included Poison’s only number one single to date, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”.

REVIEW

by Steve Huey, allmusic

Poison’s best album still has a bit of filler that fails to deliver the big hooks and catchy riffs of their best material; when that happens, Bret Michaels’ affected “rawk & rowl” singing accent begins to grate. But thankfully, that doesn’t happen very often on Open Up and Say…Ahh!, which solidified the group’s status as hair metal’s top party band. The ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Poison’s only number one hit, and the Top Ten “Nothin’ But a Good Time” became their most widely recognized signature songs; a cover of Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance” also hit the Top Ten, and the sometimes-overlooked “Fallen Angel,” one of their best songs, got plenty of MTV airplay. But the agreeable raunch of album tracks like “Love on the Rocks,” “Good Love,” and “Look But You Can’t Touch” helps make Open Up and Say…Ahh! Poison’s best overall album.

TRACKS:

All songs written by Bret Michaels, C.C. DeVille, Bobby Dall and Rikki Rockett except where noted.